jem4202

Terrible. No good. Bad. Gross, et al.

The only redeeming thing about this drama is the teenage scenes with Janice Wu and Luo Yun Xi. Loved them. As usual, Janice Wu creates a charming and loveable character. The ML is stoic and hard to reach, but he doesn't stand a chance with the FL. Actor played it well. The rest of it is so gross, I don't know what to say. Terrible terrible acting. I compare this show with those Chinese dramas that are two hours long with no Title, but BAD. NO continuity between the characters in the past and present. Yes, I get that she was beat down with life, but she changed into an unrecognizable character. Him too. And to blame HER when completely and utterly dumped her, the later said she was totally wrong and should have asked him about it? Nutcase. And in the present, he stalks and abuses her mentally and physically. In fact all the males are stalkerish to her. She stands there like a damp cloth soaking it all in. I don't know how many ways I can say it was revolting. And the hairstyles? What. The. Heck. And when he tells her she has a crappy haircut? I know, I'm nitpicking, but dang.

Didn't pay attention to the music, so gave it mid range.

I'm told there is a director's cut out there with the adult actors doing the childhood scenes. Why take out the only redeeming feature of the show? It would have been better for the young actors to play the adult parts in the entire show. I don't even remember the support cast.

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half point taken off because of Yang Yang's stiff acting.

ML lead actor's attempts at regalness consists of lifting his shoulders and chin and sticking his chest out. YY is great when he's portraying the crushing heartbreak over his father's treatment of him and , he has enough chemistry with Zhou Lu Si (name any actor who's ever worked with her who doesn't -- maybe the side table lamp in that one scene...) to make us swoon for them both. (the scene where she rescues him from the water, case in point) . But once they get together, he really shows no emotion with the exception of him sometimes patronizingly putting his chin down to kiss her head to show deep caring. I know he's a good actor -- haven't seen a lot of his work where he really lets loose his emotions, but I know they're out there, so I believe it was the director's decision, but for me it keeps it from reaching epic love story level that it could otherwise be. Other than that, it's wonderful. Zhou Lu Si schools everyone, once again,

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zhao Lusi slays once again

Came for Zhao Lusi's wonderful acting.
Stayed for the romance.
It's quite a riveting story.


Cons:
The fourth consort's daughter's husband's nephew's wife, prince of X, and cousin on the maternal side, who is the assistant to the Marquis. That's pretty much one character out of the 50 they reference. Could NOT keep them straight. ERgo, couldn't follow the mystery and deep secret part. Like it anyway but it was exhausting trying to pay attention, stop to google the character names only to come up empty handed. Still enjoyed it.

Note;
These are not discreet war scenes. there is quite a bit of gore. Be prepared if you don't like that stuff.

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Loved

First review here. The love story here is extraordinary. People keep referring to it as fluffy and cute. I think it is more very sweet at the beginning. I liked the ending too. Tied everything up nicely. The middle, I suppose, is fluffy -- if your definition of fluffy means tear your heart out of your chest, slam it against the wall, put it through a meat grinder and throw the pieces on the street for the wild dogs to eat. I had to fast forward to the ending to reassure myself that it would get less painful as I sobbed into my pillow. But man, it strung me along for a while.

The ML's conveying of a huge range of emotions is extraordinary. The actor is brilliant in this role. The FL plays a robot throughout a lot of the show, so has to remain emotionless. Her human versus robot emotions are beautifully done.

The rest of the cast did a great job. I'm not usually a fan of the silly comic relief characters, but they were cute and funny and I didn't want to fast forward through them like i do in other dramas.

Highly recommend it. Haven't seen any of the ML and FL's other works, but hope they both got roles worthy of their acting after this.

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the 2ML actor kills in this role

Very good suspense, revenge drama. The FL was outstanding. I don't have time to go over every point, but you felt every single thing she felt. She cried, raged, loved, hated. Beautiful job. The FL and ML do not have a lot of chemistry between them, which is fine, maybe that really isn't the point. There's a lot of other things going on. ML character is pretty stiff. Again, maybe that's the writing. But the chemistry between FL and 2ML is on fire -- love, passion, hate, revenge. I'm a fan of the 2ml actor. In this role he exuded every emotion and flaw: love, passion, remorse, self loathing, evil. You never know where he is or if he's lying. At one point, because I clearly have deep-seated emotional issues and probably Stockholm syndrome, I kind of wanted 2ML to be able to repent and get forgiven by FL. Sadly, SPOILER ALERT
***
***
Here it is below:

after you drug your wife, throw her in a pit, smash her face with a shovel and bury her alive, there's probably no coming back from that.

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great acting. fair storyline

One reviewer said to be patient because this takes a while to ramp up. they were right. Like 5 to 7 episodes. Then there are a string of really good episodes. But at mile 36, I gpt really tired. Almost shelved it in the last four episodes but powered through.

The thing that saves this show from being a 6.5 is the actors, especially FL(obviously Lu Si is a genius and rocks every script she touches) and 2ML (9 tailed fox), who already acted together in Love Like the Galaxy. (note, he needs to be a ML.). ML was I guess ok. . Haven't seen him in anything else, so maybe he was directed to act just the way he acted, and I didn't like his character versus his acting. Liked the character's playfulness and mischievousness, but in the more serious parts, he just seemed bland. There are more villains than you can count. Story is convoluted and goes off in a million different directions, with a ton of characters that are hard to keep straight. I tried not to skip because I wanted to try to figure out the plot.

One of my biggest gripes is the ending. without giving too much away, we viewers waited for this ending for 40 episodes, all anticipating an amazing ending and it just fizzled out -- such a disappointment. Writers, finish what you started!!! The 2ML and 2FL ending was more satisfying than the ML and FL.

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Well...I liked Jerry Yan...

Late to the game here in 2024. Was going to write a long diatribe, but if you read Manivnajfan's review, she pretty much nailed it. So I'll be brief
ML actor gets an 8 for acting, along with 3ML. went down to a 5 because I thought FL acting was really bad. Not believably hysterical. I agree one would be hysterical if a man succeeded in taking full custody of your kid and treating you like crap, but she was terrible conveying anything.

ML, yeah. total douche and treated women like dirt. But given what a psycho his mother was and how she treated him, and his father abandoning him, you can see why. I can actually see why he fell for FL. He is fascinated by how she mothers their son. That's how he falls for her. I get that he doesn't know what love is, so seeing it for the first time he is understandably drawn to it. The way he treats his kid is lovely, but handing her over to his horrible mother and letting her treat the son like sh*t is inexcusable. Also, the guilt the FL puts on him to forgive all these a*holes? First, NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!! The mom guilting him into giving his liver?? "He's your father!" She's unbelievable. I won't go into his forgiving his half brother for drugging and possible raping ML's wife to make ML leave her. Others have commented.

2ML: not only won't take no for an answer but predator. stalker, harasser, sexual abuser, emotional abuser and gas lighter. You get the idea. Disgusting piece of scum. Already discussed the drugging and sexual abuse. The fact that FL lies to ML CONSTANTLY saying she wasn't with 2ML when she was. Let's him paw all over her, but still doesn't learn her lesson and stay away from him. Hurts the ML over and over and makes him cry even, after he begs her to stop hurting him.

Mother: come on. Is there really a mother who would treat a child like that? I mean, I know there are. But I don't see her motivation. She is enraged with the man who impregnated her then left her, and spends her time pushing her kid to take revenge but then when he does she slaps him? She said, "Are you seriously hurting him because you were upset about being called an illegitimate child all your life? " Um. Yeah, lady. that's what he's upset about. Then she tells him, "He hurt me, but I'm over it. Now do your duty and give him your liver." The level of manipulation by EVERYONE in this story against the ML is inexcusable.

And her grandson....um, "Give me my grandson! Leave him here! His mom doesn't get to see him anymore! We'll enroll him in a school and beat the snot out of him until he's excellent!" Why the heck does he live with the grandmother? She hates him. She doesn't know how to take care of him. Does no one see this? And the FL sees the abuse of her son by this woman and tells the son, "Tongtong, your grandmother loves you. Obey her. " This is after she yells at him and breaks his toys. I can't even with this. The son, Tongtong, is the only honest person in the show. Except....

3ML, the hero of the show.!!!!! The only one who really shows true kindness to the ML and care about the him. is honest with the FL, tells it like it is to 3FL. He watches over both the FL and the 3FL. I loved him.

Overall:
Liked:
*3ML
*ML actor. I show how shallow I am here, but I loved watching Jerry Yan. He does a fabulous job in this role. His acting was really natural. He displays a realm of emotions. His annoyance, heartbreak and tears, jealousy, love for his son, playfulness and attraction to and chemistry with the FL -- even attraction to and chemistry with his ex , all very believable and natural. . Also, he's nice to watch. Does that make me shallow? Yes. Definitely. Am I ashamed?. Yeah. A little bit. But I stand by my statement.

Hated:
*Others have said this is dubbed. All I know is that using a grown female to imitate a child like they did with Tongtong is creepy and went out of fashion in the US in the late 70s.
*everything else.

I guess that wasn't very brief after all.

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Will be rewatching it at least once a year

WOW!!!!!
I've dropped every "i became a character in a novel" rom com because they were so stupid. This one is crazy good. If you only work and sleep, and ignore your family for a few days, you can get it done in 2 days. I did it in 3, because I'm not completely irresponsible.

I stumbled into this one while waiting anxiously for the next weekly installment of "Wedding Impossible." By the second episode, I'd forgotten all about WI and really couldn't care less about it anymore. I'll probably just watch this one over again.

What I LOVED:
FL - every adjective would not do her justice., but to name a few: spunky, entertaining, delightful, able to convey silly, adorable, funny as heck and heartbreak. Actress hit it out of the park. Her comedic timing is amazing.
ML - I want to be as respectful as I can about Marcus Chung and not treat him like an object here. He's probably one of the most handsome men I've ever seen. And he is soo good in this role. ML he plays is standoffish but with an electric gaze and sensual vibes sparking off his skin. But he conveys loneliness, heart break and fear beautifully.
ML/FL chemistry: off the charts. Real love scenes here. Not pecks on the cheek and lip kisses the don't even move after they've made contact. In the one scene I felt like I was intruding and should quit being a voyeur. It's that steamy.
Story: Refreshing, well done, beautiful. For the most part GREAT story. and bonus, we get two chances to see them meet and fall hard for each other - once in the novel and once in real life. It doesn't feel repetitive.
2M: I rooted for him and adored him. The twist in the middle was out of the blue.
2FL: gooooood. She made for some amazing jealous scenes.
The pacing: 20 episodes was perfect, and the story moved along nicely.

What I didn't like:
agree with everyone who said the "real life" parts involving the family characters are out and out boring and tedious. I got the gist of things by episode 3 and started fast forwarding about half the scenes they were in. I liked every one of the other side characters.

The villains were way too cookie cutter and one dimensional. And, dang! the evil things they did were brutal. I guess I've seen that in other dramas too, pretty graphically, and these aren't graphic. But the hatred they exude requires a little more basis for me. As in, (you find this out in the first episode) my dad cheated on my mom with your mom and now I want to kill you. Really? This happens to plenty of people and they don't resort to attempted murder. The sister has so much hate. The mother is so terrible to her daughter. Why? Just not believable. Really lazy writing. That said the actors and actresses playing those roles did very well given the one-dimensional characters they had to work with. The actress playing the sister was great. Again, the character, not believable.

I took off 1 1/2 stars for these reasons, but the fact that it still got an 8.5 shows you how much I loved the story and the fl/ml together.

OST, good songs, but two played constantly. It got boring. Some really good ones only played once. A variety and more even play time among the songs would have been better.. Also didn't know ML Actor Marcus Chang sang and wrote the theme song. Dang. I just can't with this guy. Is he even human?

Watch it.

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I will even watch a BAD drama if Luo Zheng is in it

He was (in it). and this was (BAD.)
Where to start:

The story I guess....bottom line and you don't find this out until later: FL is not very bright because she had a high fever when she was a child, so she forgets things, acts like a child and is easily manipulated. This explains a lot about why she is the way she is.
ML recognizes her as a girl he met as a child and never forgot. Why does he like her now? If you can explain this to me, I'd appreciate it.
Enter twin-in-coma-in- hospital-and-other- twin-has-to-act-like- her- to- save-a-contract plot device, and let the antics ensue.
Every single moment he is with her, he is manipulating her. Cuz he likes her, apparently.... Could he have done this entire thing differently and wooed her without manipulating every situation? Sure. But would the writers have been paid? No. This is supposed to be a comedy. Is it funny? Is it gross? I don't know. I mean, obviously it's gross. But there are funny elements to it. Harmless because she loves him? I dunno. He doesn't actually HARM her. Unless you think manipulation is inherently harmful. But that's more philosophy and I don't have time to ponder that.

Bottom line, If you leave your brain and sense of judgment at the door, if you're looking for a very fluffy romance that is somewhat amusing, and you're wondering if you can find another Luo Zheng drama that has twins in it, (or really anything with Luo Zheng) watch it.

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TIan Xi Wei CRUSHES this

An utterly charming teenage crush drama. Watched this as one of my first forays into Chinese rom coms. I was at first annoyed because I thought they were making another actress look like a little adorable Yue Shen. Then I quickly forgot about the similarities and enjoyed the show. After having watched a crap load of Asian rom coms since, I've realized that the actress playing the female lead is brilliant! She's HILARIOUS. Her comedic timing and physical comedy is beautiful. If she's ad libbing some of these scenes, she's a natural genius. If she was directed, she nailed it. Watching the standoffish ML melt into a puddle pretty quickly without her being aware of it is pretty cute. A couple scenes are cringeworthy cute. The reviewer who said the ML could have been replaced by a Japanese robot is fairly accurate. But he does have some cute moments, playing off the FL. Not having watched the actor in anything else, I can't tell if it's his acting or the direction. Edit: now that I think about it, some of the best lines are when he realizes he likes her but is feeling insecure. He had me busting out laughing in some parts (esp swimming pool scenes) and it's hard to make me laugh. So, maybe he's just being directed to be stiff.

Yes, it has all the places you can fast forward if you don't enjoy the silly background filler plots. Watch it for the FL.

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loving this so far - mild spoilers

we all agree that Luo Zheng has been typecast for most of his movies.f I personally am a fan, but I agree that some of the movies he's been in are mediocre. I'm sure he'd agree. This is a wonderful break from that, where he plays a woman sent back from the future to prevent his past self from marrying a man who will lead her to a tragic end.

Luo Zheng does a great job playing this role. He's part comedic, party heartbroken. 2FL is wonderful as a best friend who is lying and cheating on her bestie with the husband, but you see her inner conflict, her longing for the man as well as the guilt over hurting her friend. And the hurt she shows when she finds out the lies or finds out she's not chosen.
2ML is a dirtbag. And the actor is soooo good at portraying it! He's narcissistic sociopath who uses others for his own gains, and at times I was drawn into his emotions and felt sorry for him, and was rooting for him, hoping he'd changed. I know, that says a lot about my gullibility. The fact that both women are duped and go back to him after realizing his lies was, of course, enraging, but also fascinating.

Weakest is the FL. Acting was ok. But reasonable minds may differ.

OST I remember a few songs in the show that I really liked, but others weren't memorable.

The script has some wonderful twists and turns that are keeping me guessing.

Give Luo Zheng a more array of roles, please. He can do it.

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I came her to vent - major spoiler below

It was a 7.5 for me up until ep 31. cute time filler. At Episode 30 it was a nice ending, and very cute wrap up, even the ML and rival 3(ML?) resolved their issues and got together to resolve the big trauma filled issue. . The main couple's chemistry was good and really sweet. The way ML looks at FL is the best part of the chemistry. ML and FL actors are very good. I keep reading about the kissing.. I mean, I guess, compared to the other chinese dramas where they touch lips and do nothing, these are real, and not bad. But if you've ever kissed anyone, or seen a regular kiss onscreen, I mean, don't just tune in for that. You'll be disappointed.

And then episode 31 - 36 happened. Wait, what are we doing here....didn't this thing just end? sadly, it did not. Because here, I guess because the network wanted 36 episodes, they made up an enemy. ML's rival (3ML?) for 30 episodes was a conscientious, caring man terribly abused by his adoptive family who sets out to right a grievous wrong done to someone 5 years ago, does a complete 180 and becomes evil? No character building. No reasoning. just "two years later". It's completely and utterly inconsistent with his character from when we saw him as a child to age 30. What's his motivation for changing so drastically? Nothing. Calling complete bull**t on that.. For that reason, it gets a 5.5. Really disgusted with what the writers did to that character. They didn't have to find a cute girl for him and wrap it up with a bow, but dang,, make him act a in a way that is remotely similar to his character.,

If you watch it, stop at the first happy ending, episode 30.

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